An eight-year-old-boy from Tavistock is riding 100 miles throughout November to raise money for people affected by cancer.

Reggie Williams is being supported by family (his mum Isabel, dad Pete and four-year-old sister Elsa) and friends in his intrepid and ambitious cycling adventure which sprung to mind as an impromptu decision. Wanting to talk about his plans in more detail, he asked mum Isabel, who works as a specialist cancer nurse at Derriford Hospital, about turning them into a reality.

Isabel said, ‘Reggie came to me and said he wanted to raise money for people with cancer, like those I care for at work. I undertook a similar challenge of running 50 miles in a month not too long back and he said he wanted to do something like this too and had decided on cycling 100 miles this month.

‘I thought that was very ambitious as he’s involved with so many extra cirricular activities outside of school during the week such as swimming, football and beavers but we said of course we’d help him no matter what.

‘Both myself and one of our neighbours accompanied him on his first bike ride after school last Wednesday afternoon where we completed six miles along Drake’s Trail from Horrabridge back to Tavistock over Gem Bridge. It was wet, windy and got dark so quickly now the nights are drawing in but we were equipped with torches and waterproofs and he had great fun and was laughing all the way home.’

Throughout the past week, Reggie has been joined by Isabel, Pete, his sister and other family friends on evenings and the weekend in making the most of the idyllic countryside surroundings by steadily clocking up the miles as he cycles on trails in and around Tavistock, Yelverton, Horrabridge and Burrator Reservoir, such as the Granite Way cycle route over Dartmoor, part of the Devon coast-to-coast Route 27, which runs up the western spine of the county. In his first week, he has already surpassed 25 miles.

Reggie and his family have already been overwhelmed at the volume of support he has received. Only three days into November, he had already surpassed his £250 target with over £300 in donations.

Isabel laughed: ‘Initially his first target was a billion, but I suggested he go for a much lower figure to be realistic. We’ve been sharing updates with friends and they’ve been really supportive. The donations have been adding up fast so he’s moved his target to £500. I know he’ll do it no matter what, he’s always been so determined to achieve whatever he sets his mind on. It’s also been such a huge boost to his confidence and sense of achievement. He’s proud of how he’s done already, as we all are of him too.’

If you’d like to support Reggie in his venture to reach 100 miles of cycling to help Cancer Research UK, visit his cycle challenge page at: shorturl.at/cCRV5